ollowed out, strippe

matically e

, personal ite

stark and masculine against th

vet box from the disastrous Ham

it up,

eed large, flawless

esented

t – a tiny, gender-neutral sleeper I'd bought in a moment of fragile hope afte

Innovate had sent shock

entored and led, called,

ny needs you. E

told them, my voi

ndepen

those words was

n, his voice a mixture of

the hell is

w your assistant says you'

pset about the Hamptons? C

ding, Ethan," I said, the

lieve what

" He sounde

n't take

vorite cashmere throw, the Herme

nected t

a shield I no longer

elfie, pouting prettily, captioned, "My hero @EthanReed

and I felt a flicker of something akin

wever, was not so

r, his voice tig

... God, Ava, he's bee

ome kind of attack, a disgr

enox Hill.

. Your blood t

laugh e

a resource to b

asked, my

Ben said, disgus

as too much for he

her, took the

. He might n

k from the kidney removal,

, of depleting myself furt

ye

next flight," I

ained patterns of self-sacrif

ft me drained, m

rheard Ethan's voice from the adjacent suite, clear

speakin

e okay? She mus

but the concern for

ne to somewhere sunny, I imagine," B

s to be safe,"

understand. S

for me. She'll ne

dismissive of my own agency, my ow

mpassion I might have felt were instantl

nderstand. He wo

d never, e

reak was absolut